Eternity [ryeji]

Chapter 28

Yeji thanks the man opening the car door for her and steps aside, watching Ryujin hand the car keys over to the valet before tipping him.

The young man who has opened the door for her is now taking their bags out of the trunk.

“Come on,” Ryujin says, ushering Yeji to follow the man inside the lobby with her hand on the small of Yeji’s back.

“Nice choice,” remarks Yeji. “I really like this place.”

“Been here often?”

“Not really but I’ve been invited to parties here. They have a great private area with cabanas and a private pool.”

“I see.”

Yeji waits for Ryujin to check in, still carefully holding the bear by the arms so as not to press its tummy.

“Done. Let’s go,” Ryujin says and the two of them follow the staff who shows them to their rooms.

They go up the resort and Yeji steps inside the spacious room, admiring everything silently while Ryujin tips the young man.

The bear is placed on the king sized bed and Yeji checks the bathroom before going to the large glass windows, looking out at the city view.

“Do you like it?” Ryujin asks, coming to stand next to Yeji who hasn’t said a word since they arrived in that room.

Yeji turns her head and asks, “How much did you spend, exactly?”

“Why does it matter?” replies Ryujin, slightly surprised by the question.

“This place isn’t cheap.”

“It’s only for one night and this isn’t the suite.”

“I know but that,” Yeji points at the relaxation pool just a few steps away from the bed, “indicates that this is one of the more high end rooms.”

“How do you know that? I thought you’ve only been here for parties.”

“The host of one of those parties booked a room just like this for the people he invited.”

“Now that’s a generous host,” remarks Ryujin. “So you’ve stayed in one of these rooms before?”

Yeji shakes her head. “I just stopped by. Didn’t stay over. Not my kind of scene. I came, I partied and I left.” She takes a step closer towards Ryujin, placing her hands on her shoulders. “As much as I appreciate the gesture, this is only the first birthday I get to spend with you. If you keep spending your money like this, I’m afraid that you won’t have much left for your next life,” she says in a soft yet serious tone. “We can’t exactly YOLO, can we?”

Ryujin chuckles. “It’s just one night, Yeddeong. And it doesn’t cost that much. I sold one painting for ten times as much. I have enough saved up. Trust me.”

“But still…”

“Trust me,” repeats Ryujin. “I have calculated everything meticulously. Besides, I haven’t had someone to celebrate special days like this with for decades. Kindly cut me some slack?”

“Alright. Just this once.”

“And for our anniversary please.”

Yeji furrows her brows. “If I say yes, will you add Christmas and Valentine’s Day too?”

Ryujin shakes her head. “I won’t. I promise.”

“Okay. Just my birthday and our anniversary then.”

“Deal.” Ryujin places her hands on Yeji’s hips and kisses her. “So you like it?”

Yeji pulls Ryujin close, wrapping her arms around her neck. “Love it.”